


The Master, the Apprentice, and the Demon Cat

by ChristineThalassinou1990



Category: Warcraft (2016), Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: A Teeny-Tiny Bit of Angst, Alternate Universe, But Still Crying, Cat!Sargeras, Childhood Memories, Crack Treated Seriously, Crying, Dad!Medivh, Everyone Loves Smol Khadgar, Family Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Good Friend Anduin Lothar, Happy Ending, He Was Baby Medivh's Favourite Pillow, Hurt/Comfort, I Have My Own Canon And I'm Making It Up As I Go, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Khadgar Is A Tiny Orphaned Wizard, Kid!Khadgar, Mana Sharing, Medivh Has a Soft Spot For Corn In Both of His Forms, Medivh Is The Crying Type of Drunk, Medivh Misses His Parents, Medivh Needs a Hug, Medivh's Mom Created The Ultimate Fluffy Immortal Demon Cat, Medivh's Plush Raven Stormwing, No One Likes the Kirin Tor, Okay He's Just Tipsy, Plushies, Protective Anduin Lothar, Protective Medivh, Sargeras Hates His Life, Sargeras Wants To Kill Everyone, Self-Doubt, Stuffed Toys, The Author Regrets Nothing, Timeline What Timeline, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Well It's Khadgar's Now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:22:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28968981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristineThalassinou1990/pseuds/ChristineThalassinou1990
Summary: If there is any other viable option, you just don't send a small kid to Dalaran; or, the fic where Medivh accidentally wins the 'Dad of the Year' award. Not that he wanted to, at least not at first.
Relationships: Anduin Lothar & Medivh & Llane Wrynn, Khadgar & Medivh (Warcraft), Khadgar & Sargeras, Medivh & Sargeras
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

"You're kidding me, right?" Medivh asked his two friends Llane and Anduin as his eyes followed the kid, around ten years old, chasing his demon of a cat Sargeras all across the garden of Karazhan.

Not twenty minutes ago, a gryphon landed in the aforementioned garden, carrying Llane, Anduin, and the kid named Khadgar. He was obviously rescued from somewhere, for his clothes were torn and his face and hands dirty, but it didn't seem to prevent him from starting to explore the place the moment they landed, not minding the quite pissed off landlord for a minute. Not long after, he was pulling Sargeras' tail curiously, and the demon cat made an unholy screeching sound before trying to escape. Khadgar bolted after him with an enthusiastic yell.

The only reason Medivh let it was that his mom did a marvellous job at locking the titan away in a mostly harmless form forever. Now, although he was a slightly scarier sight than a normal cat, with blazing red eyes, green-stripped black fur and tiny horns on his soft little forehead, he could only hiss and growl. Medivh made sure that his tiny claws were always trimmed so he couldn't destroy the furniture in Karazhan.

"The kid can use magic" Anduin explained. "You, of all people, must know what it means; better than anyone else."

Medivh pressed his lips into a thin line. Yes, he knew. He knew, better than anyone, that if there was _any_ other viable option, you just didn't send a small kid to Dalaran. Medivh's mom and dad hated those guys, Medivh himself hated those guys, and quite frankly, most of Azeroth hated those guys. They stripped the kids of their childhood and turned them into little obedient mini-mages who grew up into obedient and blindly-following-orders adult mages. And if he could save even one child from that fate, Medivh wanted to do so; but not by basically adopting that child.

In that moment, Khadgar shuffled to them, looking up at the adults with huge, innocent brown eyes, Sargeras clutched tightly to his chest. The demon cat looked like he was ready to murder to death everyone present, but as Medivh's dad put it once: "It doesn't matter you're born to rule, if you're four kilograms of fur and fluff, you're thoroughly fucked." Truth be told, Sargeras was indeed around four kilograms when the saying was told, but now, he was more like around seven, Medivh never bothered with measuring it exactly.

"What's the matter, Khadgar?" Llane asked, smiling kindly at the kid.

"I'm hungry" came the answer in a small child-voice.

Medivh sighed, leading his guests into the tower; even if he wasn't enthusiastic about the whole business, he wasn't such a heartless bastard who didn't give food to a hungry child. As Anduin passed by the kid, he reached out and scratched Sargeras between his ears with a grin. The cat hissed furiously in his impotent rage. They climbed a few stories to reach the kitchen, where Medivh searched for some cookies and a glass of milk.

"Here. Come, sit down" he gestured toward the table, and Khadgar sat down obediently, happily munching on the cookies.

"Thank you" the kid smiled at him brightly, and Medivh found himself smiling back, despite of himself.

Sargeras jumped on the table and neared Khadgar cautiously. Khadgar looked up then broke a small piece of his cookie, handing it to the cat.

"Here, kitty" he said with such innocent kindness that even Medivh felt his resistance beginning to melt.

Sargeras smelled the cookie and decided it was not worth it, jumping down on the floor again. The disappointment on Khadgar's little face was almost comical.

Medivh sighed, rubbing his face tiredly with his hands. He needed some fresh air.

"There's more food if you need it, feel free to take whatever you want. Don't touch my things" he muttered, striding toward the balcony – every story of the tower had its own, for a very specific reason.

"Where are you going?" Llane called after him.

"To clear my head a bit" Medivh answered, and a split second later, a few black feathers were the only signs he was there.

Khadgar didn't notice his sudden change and disappearance; the kid was busy luring Sargeras out of the cupboard. How the demon cat got there, no one knew.

*

The huge raven glided gracefully toward the mountains in the distance, using a warm current to rest his wings a bit. Medivh thoroughly enjoyed as the wind played with his dark feathers and cooled his warmed up body. He had been flying like crazy in the last few minutes, straining his wings to their limit, to work out somehow at least a part of the stress he felt.

He always thought that he wasn't someone who was a good parent, or even a teacher, material; and little Khadgar definitely needed both. On the other hand, though, he definitely didn't want the kid to be sent to a place where nothing good awaited him. If he could've sighed in raven form, he would have now, so much he wished his mom was there with him. She'd know what to do and how to do it, and she would've been a much better teacher for Khadgar, surely; kinder, more patient, better at explaining things.

 _But she's not here_ , Medivh thought, diving sharply just for the thrill of it.

A mere few feet above the ground, he spread his wings and ascended again, this time at a much less steep angle. The muscles in his back ached dully, a sure sign that he was straining them too hard. He should've flown back to Karazhan, to rest and have a long, hot bath, but he just didn't feel like it, not yet.

When he eventually did fly back to the tower, the sun was already low. He wanted to land on the balcony leading to his room, but a scene drew his attention. Khadgar was playing in the garden again, with Anduin crouching next to him, apparently explaining something to the kid. Llane was sitting on a bench not much further, his eyes closed, enjoying the last warm rays of sunshine.

Medivh landed next to Anduin and Khadgar, not yet changing back to his human form. The kid's attention turned to him immediately, and he reached out to stroke his feathers. Medivh hopped away some, an offended croak escaping him. Anduin, who recognized his friend, just grinned and dug up a few bits of corn from his pocket.

"Give him these" he said to Khadgar, pouring the bird-food into the kid's small hands.

Khadgar smiled happily, offering the food to Medivh, and he just couldn't resist, not corn. He hopped back to Khadgar, accepting the offering, and the kid gave him all gladly. He was so innocent, kind, and selfless... Medivh didn't want it to be destroyed. He didn't want Khadgar to be destroyed.

At first, he didn't even notice the small fingers touching his head gently, careful not to cause him pain or hurt his eyes accidentally. Then Khadgar stroked his back, and there was such tenderness and affection in the caress that it made Medivh's heart ache. He spread his wings, feeling comfortable enough to do so, and Khadgar's eyes lit up.

"Careful!" Anduin warned the kid when he grabbed Medivh's left wing curiously, wanting to feel the soft feathers there.

Khadgar obeyed immediately, holding the wing more gently, and Anduin grabbed the small hand, leading it slowly.

"Do you feel the bone? How delicate it is?" he asked, and Khadgar nodded enthusiastically. "You must be very, very careful if you touch it, it can break easily and it will hurt him."

Khadgar's expression was one of terrified horror; the last thing he wanted was to hurt anyone or anything.

"I'm sorry, bird, I didn't mean to harm you" he said sincerely, stroking Medivh's back with his free hand as a gesture of apology.

"He's a raven" Anduin corrected him gently.

"Oh, okay" Khadgar nodded, stroking Medivh's wing.

Medivh enjoyed the caress for a few more minutes, but then hopped away and flapped with his wings, ready to take off. Khadgar and Anduin watched him, the kid even waved his hand as he flew up to his room in the tower.

About ten minutes later, he was in the kitchen, in his human form, munching on some cookies and trying to avoid Llane's and Anduin's expectant gazes, but he could do this only for so long. Khadgar was playing with Sargeras in the corner, rolling a crumpled piece of paper to the cat, who savagely hunted it down.

"Fine... He can stay" Medivh finally said, prompting his friends to grin ear-to-ear at him.


	2. Chapter 2

After having a normal dinner, with soup and all, Llane and Anduin explained to Khadgar that he was supposed to stay with Medivh from now on. Khadgar was fairly okay with that, Karazhan seemed like a nice place, it was warm, there were cookies, and he had a demon cat for a playmate. Medivh, on the other hand, was just a tiny bit scary sometimes, but for some reason he couldn't explain, the kid trusted the mage.

"He's gonna be a great teacher for you, you'll see" Anduin encouraged him, but both Khadgar and Medivh seemed a bit unconvinced by that.

Sargeras was definitely displeased by that development; it meant that Khadgar would have the whole day to torture him in the future, for a very long time. The demon cat deemed it wiser to retreat for the rest of the evening, and soon, Medivh and Khadgar followed the example. Llane and Anduin had left a bit earlier, with a promise that they'd come back in a week the latest, to check on them.

Medivh had to think for a moment where the guest rooms were in Karazhan, so rarely he used them. Usually, when Llane or Anduin visited him, they went out for a pizza or a drink or both; the last time any of his friends slept here was years ago.

"Come, let's find you a room" Medivh called Khadgar, and the kid followed him, reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of his robe.

Medivh almost said something but then held his tongue instead. Khadgar was just a kid, in a completely new environment, with someone he barely knew. It must've been very scary for him.

"No one's going to hurt you here, I promise" Medivh eventually said, trying to calm the kid somewhat.

Meanwhile, they reached the level of the guest rooms, and Medivh randomly chose one, opening the door and leading Khadgar in. The room was in fact a friendly one, albeit a bit dusty, but Medivh solved that with a simple spell. Then he got a few new clothes for the kid – being the Guardian definitely had its advantages, like the fact that he could do basically anything with magic –, alongside with something he could sleep in.

"Do you want to have a bath?" he asked, and Khadgar nodded, with a hopeful expression on his face; it was still a bit dirty. "Come on, then."

Khadgar obviously enjoyed the pool-sized bathtub and the always-warm water – thanks to magic, of course –, so much that Medivh had a hard time luring him out of it.

"Looks like someone's very sleepy" the mage smiled when Khadgar yawned, twice in quick succession. "Believe me, you don't want to sleep in the water. Your bed's a much better choice."

Eventually, Khadgar had to admit that Medivh was right; the thought of a soft bed was indeed a much more appealing one than the bathtub. So he climbed out, letting the mage wrap him in a huge, fluffy white towel. They went back to Khadgar's new room and the kid put on his pyjama. Medivh waited until he snuggled under the blanket then turned to leave Khadgar to his rest.

"Sweet dreams, Khadgar" he said with a hopefully reassuring smile.

The small voice stopped him at the door.

"Don't leave me alone..."

Medivh suppressed a sigh; he really didn't have the skills and tools to deal with such little kids. He wouldn't have hurt Khadgar intentionally, ever, but he simply didn't know how to be the person Khadgar needed him to be. _I'm not your dad, kid_ , he thought, somewhat sadly.

 _Dad..._ The word brought back a faint memory. A man, his laughing, kind eyes a dazzling mix of green and blue, much like his own, handing him something big and soft. At first, Medivh didn't know what was it, but then he remembered; and it gave him an idea.

"I'll be right back" he said, and not waiting for Khadgar's response, he ran up to his own bedroom and dove into his huge wardrobe, searching for the item he saw in his memory.

He should've still had it... he just couldn't make himself get rid of it. And indeed, he found it soon: a big, soft, and a bit battered plush raven: his dad's last gift for him before he'd died. Medivh sighed sadly and hugged the faithful companion of his childhood for the last time before passing it on to someone who needed it much better than him.

Khadgar was huddled in the corner when he got back to him, pulling the blanket tight around himself like an armour that could protect him from the dark, lonely night. The sight made Medivh's heart squeeze a bit. He settled beside the kid, gently tugging his hands free and placed the plush raven in them. Khadgar's very first reaction was to hug it tight to his chest.

"My dad gave him to me when I was seven years old" Medivh explained softly, and Khadgar was intently listening to him. "I couldn't really sleep at night, so he thought that a soft, cuddly companion would do me some good and help me to sleep better. And he indeed helped me a great deal. My dad said that he'd always be by my side and protect me from bad dreams, and he did. So I think he'd do the same for you, too. He's yours now."

Khadgar's eyes grew wide in surprise; he didn't expect Medivh to give him such a thoughtful, sweet gift.

"I'll take good care of him" he promised, stroking the plush raven's wings. "Does he have a name?"

Medivh needed a few minutes to remember it, but then he did.

"I called him Stormwing, if I'm not mistaken."

"Why?" Khadgar asked; he didn't seem impressed by the raven's name.

"I guess I found it cool at seven" Medivh shrugged. "Then I was too lazy to come up with something else. You can rename him if you feel like it."

"Maybe I will" Khadgar muttered, snuggling under the blanket again, now hugging Stormwing tight; the plush indeed seemed to calm him.

"I'm right above you on the next floor if you need me; but only if you really do. No sneaking into my room just because, okay?" There was no way in the universe or beyond Medivh would share his bedroom in Karazhan with _anyone_.

"Okay" Khadgar agreed.

"Good" Medivh smiled, and giving in to the urge that came over him, he reached out and ruffled the kid's soft, messy dark hair. "Now try to sleep. Sweet dreams!"

With a tiny bit of help from magic, Khadgar was fast asleep in a few minutes. Medivh tucked him in gently then stood up and left the room with silent steps.


	3. Chapter 3

Next morning, Medivh woke to Sargeras' loud, unholy meowing. It came from the floor beneath him, so he had a solid guess what – or more likely, who – was the demon cat's problem. Apparently, Khadgar didn't give up on his goal to win Sargeras' evil little heart.

Medivh groaned, turning to his back and rubbing his face sleepily. He just wanted to pretend for a few more minutes that his friends weren't here yesterday and he wasn't trusted by them with the task to raise a little mage into a decent adult one. It still felt just absurd.

 _It wasn't in my job description... I'm the damn Guardian, not some foster parent for tiny orphaned wizards_ , Medivh thought, covering his tired eyes from the rays of sunshine pouring inside through the huge windows.

 _But is it not the Guardian's job to protect all people of Azeroth, including the tiny orphaned wizards?_ , a voice asked in the back of his mind, a voice reminding him very much of his mom's; it was his conscience and better judgement talking.

"I miss you, mom" Medivh muttered, then with a sigh, he finally got up and after snatching his favourite at-home-only crimson robe from the chair he tossed it on last night, he made his way to the kitchen for a big, hot cup of coffee.

He was in the middle of pouring milk into his mug – with the text 'Best Guardian' on it, one of Anduin's silly but, quite frankly, adorable birthday gifts – when suddenly, Sargeras sped through the room, closely followed by a happy Khadgar still in his pyjama. He clutched Stormwing tightly in his left hand. Medivh didn't let it bother him, though, he just kept making his coffee, still being in a somewhat half-asleep state.

"Leave that cat alone for five minutes, Khadgar. Okay?" he muttered, dropping at the table and cuddling his mug in both hands.

He whispered a short incantation, and his palms began emitting a bluish-white light while the same hue flared up in his eyes, just to dissipate a moment later as the spell stabilized itself; now, that got Khadgar's attention, and Sargeras escaped the kitchen the moment the kid looked away.

"What are you doing?" Khadgar asked, climbing on the chair next to Medivh and leaning closer to the light.

"Warming up my coffee" came the answer, followed by a barely suppressed yawn.

Khadgar watched Medivh's hands so intently that the mage began feeling a bit embarrassed by it. It wasn't such a big deal, really. Soon, the light around his hands dissolved as the coffee reached the desired degree of heat.

"Is a Guardian supposed to use magic like this?" the kid finally asked.

"Like how?" Medivh asked back, now holding his head in one hand and using the other to stir his coffee with a spoon. _I need a haircut_ , he thought when he noticed that his long, messy brown strands were all over the place.

"Like... this. For warming your coffee" Khadgar tried and failed to explain. Still, Medivh understood it, however, a bit late, thanks to his drowsy state of mind.

"I'm the Guardian" he said, glancing at Khadgar. "I can use magic however I see fit, as long as I don't hurt the people of Azeroth with it. And I wouldn't think warming my coffee hurts any resident of Azeroth."

Khadgar had to admit that this sounded legit.

"Okay" he nodded, with a serious, thoughtful expression on his little face.

He was so cute Medivh couldn't help his smile; then he turned back to his coffee, right until he heard the kid's stomach growl.

"Oh my" he muttered. "Time for breakfast, it seems."

Once again, he used magic and a few movements of his hand to put the bread, the butter and some fruit on the table. This time, Khadgar didn't question him, just began eating, however, he still hugged his plush raven in his free hand. Medivh felt a pang of nostalgia seeing that; he was just like this, too, when he got Stormwing. He barely went anywhere without him.

"Monster Kitty! Breakfast time!" Medivh then announced, filling Sargeras' bowl with cat food as well.

The demon cat came, hissing at Medivh as a morning greeting then walking to his bowl. He began eating, keeping his blazing red eyes on the two wizards at the table, no doubt watching if Khadgar was about to chase him again. Fortunate for Sargeras, though, Khadgar was utterly preoccupied with his breakfast.

When they were all done, and thanks to the coffee, Medivh started waking up properly, he decided to try and find out a few things about his small new apprentice.

"Khadgar... How did you even end up with Anduin and Llane?" he asked while searching for the hair tie in the pocket of his robe then when finding it, pulling back his hair into a messy ponytail so it wouldn't disturb him much.

Khadgar reaction was a blush of all things, and it made Medivh even more interested. He didn't push the kid, though, just waited for him to talk.

"I wanted to take away their money so I could buy food" he answered, fidgeting nervously.

"So you're a pickpocket?"

"Not too good" Khadgar admitted, hanging his head in shame.

Medivh sighed and just wanted to hug the kid and tell him everything would be fine.

"And how did they find out you can use magic?"

"I made Llane land on his butt without touching him" Khadgar said, now obviously fighting a grin, and Medivh had to admit it must've been a hilarious sight; he'd have loved being there and see it for himself.

"I see" he nodded, trying to bite back a smile. "Well, I'll teach you how to make people land on their butts properly, and many other things as well. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" Khadgar nodded enthusiastically and with an ear-to-ear grin on his happy little face.

"It's decided, then... Go, change into something comfortable, then wait for me, and I'll show you the library" Medivh said, standing up with the purpose of taking a hot bath and doing something with his unruly mess of hair.

The mention of the library visibly made Khadgar excited, and Medivh smiled into his beard; if he'd ever given any thought about what kind of an apprentice he wanted, he'd have surely listed 'love for books' in the first place. Perhaps this entire endeavour with having an apprentice would turn out just fine.


	4. Chapter 4

After having the desired bath and utilizing magic again to trim his beard and hair some – now it barely reached his shoulders –, Medivh quickly washed his freshly cut hair as a last step. Just to soak in the hot water for a few more minutes was utterly tempting, but Khadgar was waiting for him; so Medivh climbed out of his pool with a sigh, dried himself with his favourite fluffy dark blue towel, and began dressing. He knew he better got used to the fact that his time wasn't entirely his anymore; but strangely, it didn't disturb him as much as he expected to.

Khadgar was in his room, changed, sitting on his bed and petting his plush raven with visible happiness; Medivh was a bit surprised by how attached the kid got to the old toy.

"Come on, I think you'll like this" he called, and Khadgar jumped to follow him. "Maybe Stormwing should stay here now" Medivh added when he noticed the plush in Khadgar's arms. "You don't want to lose him somewhere or anything, I guess."

"Yeah..." Khadgar nodded, and after a last squeezing hug, he tucked his raven under the blanket on his bed. "I'll be back soon" he promised.

Medivh couldn't help his smile; in some ways, Khadgar reminded him of himself as a child. They headed toward the library, and soon, Medivh felt a small hand slipping into his own. He looked down at Khadgar, surprised, and the kid blinked back at him with his huge, innocent brown eyes.

"You're a trusting little fellow, aren't you?" Medivh sighed, squeezing the little hand gently.

"You're nice" Khadgar stated simply, earning a hearty laugh from the other wizard.

Meanwhile, they reached the library downstairs. Medivh watched with a barely hidden grin as Khadgar's eyes grew almost impossibly wide as he took in the sight of shelves upon shelves, all filled with books and scrolls and notes to discover.

"Can I go in?" the kid asked, jumping up and down excitedly. "Please, Medivh, can I?"

"Sure. Just be careful not to fall on your face in this hurry" Medivh grinned, releasing Khadgar's hand, who took it as a sign to run in and get lost almost immediately in the huge library.

Medivh wasn't worried, though, the room had one exit only, namely the entrance; not counting the secret ones, but they were secrets for a reason, there was no way Khadgar could've found them. As a last resort, Medivh could always use a divination spell to locate the kid anywhere in Karazhan. Moreover, this little adventure could even give him a few useful clues about just what exactly interested Khadgar. Magic was an enormous field to study, with many types and sub-types, and even an entire lifetime wasn't enough to learn all of them. Medivh, as the Guardian, had a vast amount of knowledge about many, many types of magic, and he could use most of them, but he knew he wasn't even close to know everything that was out there to be known.

About ten minutes later, he found Khadgar almost at the other end of the library, near to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The kid sat on the floor, flapping through a big picture book with bright eyes.

"What have you found?" Medivh asked, crouching down next to Khadgar and covering the kid's back and shoulders with his flowing robe instinctively. The movement was pure reflex, he couldn't have explained why he did it if asked; but when Khadgar smiled up at him, he decided he didn't regret it.

"This book says people can turn into animals. Is that true?" the kid asked curiously.

"Well..." Medivh grinned, standing up. "Let me show you a trick."

In the next moment, a huge raven with feathers of the darkest velvet stood where Medivh had been a split second ago. Khadgar's jaw dropped, his eyes wide; he was definitely impressed.

"Wow" he breathed; then his next move caught Medivh completely off-guard.

The kid picked him up carefully and hugged him, his small hands cradling him to his chest with obvious affection; and Medivh felt safe and content being held by Khadgar, so much that he spread his wings and 'hugged back' his young charge, croaking friendly. Then, after a few minutes of cuddling him, Khadgar put him back down, and Medivh changed back into his human form.

"Don't get used to it" he said, ruffling Khadgar's hair as he sat next to him. "I'm not Stormwing."

"Well, you're almost as soft as him" Khadgar replied, and Medivh snorted. "Can I do this too?"

"Maybe... later, when you'll be a bit more educated. I can surely try to teach you if you're interested."

"I am" Khadgar grinned. "Since when you can do it?"

"Well, in my case, it's a bit different. I'm a shapeshifter, I was born with it. My mom's one, too, I got it from her. Once, I was a teeny-tiny fluffy little baby raven, about as big as your hand. You'd be like that, too, if you were to try and shapeshift" Medivh explained, biting back the nostalgic smile tugging at his lips.

Khadgar was obviously trying to imagine this, with a somewhat limited success.

"And what else interests you, my little apprentice?" Medivh asked, and Khadgar's face lit up when he was called 'apprentice'.

"Magic!" he burst out with an excited grin, and Medivh made a mental note to himself that he definitely needed to start this with the very basics.

"Magic it is, then" he nodded then stood up to go and find a few books on the theory, all of this on Khadgar's barely-ten-years-old level. "Wait here, I'll be back soon."

He knew that his mom had a few picture books with very short and plain texts about the basics of magical theory; she used them to satisfy little Medivh's seemingly unending curiosity. He remembered them sitting together, with him in his mom's lap, and her explaining things to him, showing him the beautiful, richly painted pictures along the way. These were one of the happiest moments of his childhood.

He eventually found the books he was looking for on one of the shelves in the back of the library. They looked almost like he remembered them from these many years ago, although, their covers were faded a bit after all this time. Medivh ran his fingers over them gently, smiling sadly as memories rushed him in a wave.

"They're going to a good place" he whispered, imagining how happy Khadgar would be with these books.

He took a deep breath and went back to his apprentice, trying to leave behind the longing and nostalgia that had filled him. They wouldn't get him anywhere, he knew that.

"Look what I found for you" Medivh smiled at Khadgar, who was right where he left him, still reading the book about the people that could change into animals.

"Thanks!" the kid grinned when Medivh gave him the books.

"These should explain the very basics, but if you have a question, don't be afraid to ask."

"Okay" Khadgar nodded, clearly impatient to dive right into it.

"That's my apprentice" Medivh said proudly and ruffled Khadgar's hair. "Just tell me when you're hungry, and we'll get something."

Medivh grabbed an adventure novel from the shelf next to him, and then snuggled into one of the offensively comfortable armchairs by the window, close enough to Khadgar to keep his eyes on the kid. Soon enough, both of them were drowned into their books.


	5. Chapter 5

As they'd promised, Anduin and Llane came to visit them a few days later. Not minding for a minute that Medivh wasn't a morning person by any means, they stormed into the kitchen and dropped at the table, stealing Medivh's morning cookies. Medivh looked up, his head in his hands, still half-asleep, but his glance was icy enough to make Anduin stop, for a split second. Then he ate the stolen cookie nonetheless.

"At least make yourselves useful, then, and go make me a coffee" the mage muttered. "Oh, and feed Sargeras" he added with a slightly cruel smirk.

Llane jumped up and began making coffee; that left Anduin with preparing food for the demon cat.

"Kitty, kitty... pspspsps..." he called Sargeras, who came indeed, stopping at Anduin's feet and looking up at him expectantly with his blazing red eyes.

Anduin simply couldn't hold back a snort; somehow, the demon cat always made him laugh his ass off. Must've been the tiny horns.

"You want this?" he teased Sargeras, showing him the full bowl but holding it high enough so the cat couldn't reach it. "Really want this, eh? You fat little monster kitty..."

Sargeras meowed loudly, and somehow, he managed to make it actually sound a tad threatening.

"Does it mean 'give me the food or die horribly'?" Llane asked, putting down the mug full of coffee before Medivh.

"Well, it definitely translates somewhere along these lines" Medivh grinned, sipping his fuel happily.

Meanwhile, Sargeras had got absolutely fed up with being fooled and jumped straight at Anduin's face with a fierce battle meow. The only thing saved the warrior from a few more grazes on his face was his battlefield experience and his quick reflexes. He stepped back in time, and Sargeras landed in a safe distance from him.

"Such an aggressive kitty" Anduin scolded but put the bowl down so the cat could finally eat.

Sargeras hissed at him before he began eating, and Anduin burst out laughing again.

"You always make my day" he said, scratching Sargeras' ears fondly.

His reward was an attempted bite assault from the demon cat. Anduin finally got the clue and retreated to his friends at the table. In that minute, Khadgar joined them, running into the kitchen, in pyjama, as usual, and with Stormwing hugged in his left hand, which was usual as well.

"Hey, kid!" Anduin greeted him with an ear-to-ear grin, grabbing Khadgar and lifting him to settle in his lap.

Khadgar seemed to enjoy it, he made himself comfortable, waiting for his breakfast a bit impatiently. Medivh, using magic, sent him a few toasts and some fruit, accompanied by a big cup of orange juice. Khadgar reached for the food greedily, dropping Stormwing in the process. Anduin caught it by pure reflex, examining it curiously.

"You gave it to him?" he asked Medivh, and the mage just shrugged.

"Kids need something cuddly to sleep with, no? And he's quite fond of it" he answered, somewhat guarded; but Anduin knew Medivh way too well to fall for it.

He was well aware of how much Medivh loved his plush raven, how much it meant to him, so the fact that he was willing to give it to Khadgar spoke volumes of how fond of the kid he actually was.

"Alright, then" Anduin smiled and gave the raven back to Khadgar when the kid tugged at it. "Anyway, how about a nice walk in Stormwind? I'm pretty sure Khadgar would like it."

That indeed picked the kid's curiosity, and he looked at Medivh expectantly, waiting for his master's decision. Medivh had nothing against the idea, a day with his friends sounded just like what he needed.

"Okay, but only if we're getting some pizza along the way" he agreed.

"There's something much better" Llane said, grinning into his beard. "A restaurant opened near to the palace not long ago. As I heard, they make excellent boiled corn on the cob..."

That was all he needed to say. Medivh's face lit up by the mere mention of corn; he was such a bird sometimes.

"Give us half an hour" the mage said, gesturing to Khadgar to finish his breakfast and go wash his teeth before they go out.

Khadgar jumped down from Anduin's lap with a happy yelp, racing back to his room. Medivh did the same, and soon, they were ready to go.

*

Anduin was proved right, Khadgar indeed loved Stormwind. He watched everything with intense, unwavering curiosity, asking question after question, and the three adults answered him as best as they could. For a while, Khadgar had been walking among them, holding on to the sleeve of Medivh's robe, but when they reached the city centre and the traffic increased significantly, Anduin decided it was safer if he picked the kid up into his arms. Khadgar definitely enjoyed his elevated spot.

They went to Medivh's favourite bookstore, where the mage bought a few interesting scrolls and Khadgar got a nicely illustrated fairy tale anthology so he had something to read for himself before sleeping. Medivh wasn't the reading-bedtime-stories-to-little-kids type, and Khadgar couldn't change his mind on this yet. Their next stop was a sweetshop where Llane got a little bit of everything for everyone; but especially for himself.

"Careful, or you'll have to commission a new set of armour soon" Anduin grinned.

"Shut up, Lothar" Llane muttered, munching on some cream-filled pastries.

Medivh and Khadgar did their best to hide their smiles into their share of sweets.

After a long walk in the beautiful park, they decided to have dinner in the restaurant Llane mentioned back in Karazhan. Medivh was particularly looking forward to this; he couldn't wait to taste their corn-related foods. Five corns on the cob later, he decided it was totally worth it, especially that Llane was the one who was paying for it.

"You see, that's one of your master's weaknesses to exploit" Anduin said to Khadgar as Medivh was munching on his corn with a blissfully content expression on his face; however, hearing that, he threw daggers at Anduin with his eyes.

Anduin just grinned back at him.

"I hate you, Lothar" Medivh deadpanned.

"Of course you do, little raven."

Llane burst out laughing when he cast a glance at Medivh and saw his face, and soon enough, his friends joined him. For the first time since Khadgar had ended up with him, Medivh felt truly relieved and carefree. He knew his friends were there for him, whatever hit them. He wasn't alone in this.

It was getting dark fast when Medivh finally decided it was time to go home. Khadgar was dozing in Llane's arms this time, as they were searching for a big enough, more or less calm spot at the edge of the city, from where Medivh could teleport Khadgar and himself back to Karazhan.

"See you soon" Anduin muttered into Medivh's ear as he hugged the mage tight; and Medivh snuggled to him shamelessly.

Llane hugged him after he transferred Khadgar safely into Medivh's arms. Khadgar whined some, wrapping his arms around Medivh's neck and burying his face into his shoulder.

"We'll be home in a few minutes" the mage promised, trying to balance the kid in a way that one of his hands was free to cast the spell. "Bye!" he smiled at his friends before disappearing in a bluish-white flash of light.

Khadgar was apparently so sleepy that not even the teleportation could rouse him. He just moaned into Medivh's shoulder and his grip around the mage's neck became a bit tighter as Medivh carefully shifted him in his arms.

He didn't even think about making Khadgar take a bath, he took the kid right into his room, placing him gently on the bed. Now, Khadgar woke, at least partially, only to hug Stormwing tight to his chest and curl up into a little ball. Medivh carefully removed the kid's shoes, they'd have been quite uncomfortable to sleep in, then tucked Khadgar in and after ruffling his hair gently as a replacement of a goodnight-kiss, he left the kid to his rest.


	6. Chapter 6

In the next few weeks, Medivh began teaching Khadgar how to control his magic and how to cast a few easy spells. Khadgar's favourite was the food conjuring, of course, however, his muffins were small and a bit deformed yet. Medivh found them utterly cute, and there was nothing wrong with their taste.

Khadgar also enjoyed the very creatively named _slow fall_ spell, which made it possible for him to jump down from the trees in the garden and land without any trouble. It was exciting for the kid, and he loved the fact that he basically had a new toy in the form of this spell. Medivh tried to make sure he was present when Khadgar played with it, in case of a possible accident, but he knew he couldn't always be with the kid. He needed to make him understand why he shouldn't have played with such spells without supervision.

"I don't want you to get hurt" Medivh said, holding back Khadgar from climbing the tree again.

The kid was low on mana, that much was obvious, but he didn't really notice it yet; that was something they needed to work on. It was the line between life and death if a mage knew his limits well enough or not, Medivh had learned it the hard way, not long before his eighth birthday, when his dad made the fatal mistake of overestimating his limits, and he paid with his life for it.

"I won't" Khadgar said, but when Medivh didn't let go of his hand, he sighed, resigned that playtime was over.

Medivh settled next to him when Khadgar dropped on the ground, beginning to feel the exhaustion low mana caused to mages.

"You feel tired because you've run out of mana" Medivh explained. "If you attempt to cast a spell like this, you'll pass out or worse. That's why I've lost my dad before I was eight, because he didn't know when to stop. And I don't want to lose anyone else because of this, so please be careful, and always check on your mana before casting a spell, okay?"

Something in Medivh's voice made Khadgar want to hug the other mage and promise him everything just to convince him he had nothing to worry about, everything was fine. Medivh didn't seem like an overly cuddly type, but he'd never refused Khadgar when the kid tried to approach him, so perhaps he wouldn't mind a hug now, either.

"Huh?" was Medivh's only reaction when Khadgar did hug him, as tight as his tired little body allowed it, snuggling into his lap.

"You won't lose me if you don't want to. I promise" the kid muttered, hiding his face into Medivh's neck.

For a moment, Medivh froze; then he hugged Khadgar back, holding him close, and for the first time since they'd met, he could admit at least to himself that he grew to love this kid, he was much more than a mere apprentice to him, and he'd have burnt Azeroth to ashes just to keep him safe. Very un-Guardiany thoughts, but Medivh wasn't willing to lie to himself any longer.

"I don't... I really don't" he whispered, and Khadgar snuggled deeper into his arms, feeling perfectly safe.

Medivh was determined to make this feeling stronger in him.

"How can I get back my mana?" the kid suddenly asked.

"Well, there are a few options... like sleeping some. Mana restores over time by itself, however, it's a pretty slow process. Or you can drink a potion, but we try to avoid giving these to kids, the stuff's pretty raw. And there's a third option..." Medivh took one of Khadgar's hands into his own, holding it gently. "I can give you some."

Khadgar watched with wide eyes as Medivh's palm began glowing with the now familiar bluish-white hue, and where their hands touched, he felt something warm flowing into him. It was strong, pure, and uniquely Medivh; the kid instinctively knew that mana from anyone else wouldn't have felt the same, not even close.

"It's... you" he tried to phrase it, searching for a better word but unable to find it.

"Yes. Every mage's his or her own person, we're different. So is our mana, and when we share it, the other would feel the difference" Medivh explained, slowly closing the stream between them, but Khadgar didn't let go of his hand. "Mana sharing is for emergencies, though. And for kids, sometimes" he added smiling, and Khadgar grinned up at him, trying to hide his yawn, with somewhat limited success.

Medivh let him play with Sargeras for a time after dinner, but when Khadgar dozed off, using the demon cat as his pillow, much to the aforementioned demon cat's dismay, he decided it was definitely bedtime. Khadgar was more than eager to curl up in his bed, hugging Stormwing tight. He was asleep in mere minutes.

Medivh shuffled back to the kitchen with a sigh and with the vague idea of making a cup of tea for himself before he, too, went to sleep, but when he spotted the bottle of wine in the cupboard, he found himself unable to resist. Perhaps it was the tiredness, or the sadness evoked by speaking about losing his dad, he didn't know, but he didn't really care, either. He grabbed the bottle and his 'Best Guardian' mug and retreated to the balcony on the library level. It was one of the biggest balconies in the tower, and his favourite spot for some stargazing and quiet musing.

Knowing that Khadgar wouldn't be around until morning, Medivh filled his mug with a handsome amount of wine and settled down, crossing his legs and leaning back against the wall of the tower. He listened to the soft noises of the night, sipping the wine slowly, and trying to keep his thoughts from wandering to places he really didn't want them to.

He'd been sitting and drinking on his balcony at least for an hour when suddenly, he heard the familiar flapping of gryphon wings, but at first, he didn't care about it too much; it wasn't that rare that travellers flew by the tower, at any time of the day. However, when the gryphon landed on his balcony, he looked up to see who it was.

It wasn't a big surprise when he saw Anduin walking toward him; he must've been on his way back to Stormwind, or going somewhere from there. Why he decided to drop by, though, was a question he didn't know the answer to.

"Welcome" Medivh smiled up, somewhat ruefully, at his late night visitor, raising his mug as a greeting gesture. "Care to share a bottle of wine with me?"

"Sure" Anduin said, dropping down next to his friend. "But Medivh... Wine? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah" Medivh sighed, and for the time being, Anduin left it there, but he had a feeling that something was off; his friend, although didn't outright hate it, scarcely drank wine. "What brings you here, anyway?"

"Well, actually... I was hoping I could use your bathroom" Anduin admitted, a bit embarrassed.

"Feel free" Medivh nodded, and Anduin quickly went inside.

A few minutes later, he joined Medivh again on the balcony, sitting down next to him on the floor. That's when he spotted how Medivh drank that wine.

"Drinking wine from a mug? You have no class, Guardian" he snorted in mock-disgust, and Medivh laughed softly.

"Not just _a_ mug" he showed it to Anduin, who now could see the text on it in the moonlight. "It's the very mug you gave me for my birthday."

"Well, okay, that helps a bit. And I'm glad you like it so much" Anduin grinned.

For a while, they sat in silence and drank, Medivh from his mug and Anduin straight from the bottle.

"How's Khadgar?" Anduin then asked.

"Fine. He's learning pretty fast. He's a clever kid." Medivh fell silent for a moment, but then he couldn't keep his doubts inside anymore. "Are you... are you really sure I'm the best for him?" he asked, looking at Anduin miserably.

The question caught the warrior completely off-guard. When he and Llane found Khadgar and it turned out the kid was magic-sensitive, it was such a natural choice to bring him to Medivh. They didn't consider any other option, not for a minute, exactly because Medivh seemed like the best choice.

"Of course I'm sure, and Llane's, too. Do you think we'd have brought a wizard kid here if we didn't think you can handle it? You're his best chance... Why do you think you're not?" Anduin asked back, confused.

Medivh stared down at his mug cradled in his hands, visibly struggling with finding the right words.

"I... I never wanted an apprentice. I never thought I'd be a good teacher to anyone. I can be quite rude and impatient sometimes, after all... even you and Llane always say that. And even though I don't know much about teaching, I do know that these are not traits I would want in my own teacher... So I honestly can't imagine why would anyone think I'm the right person to raise a kid..." he confessed, and most probably because of the amount of alcohol he'd consumed already, his voice cracked at the end and burning tears filled his eyes.

Medivh tried to blink them back, but when Anduin crouched before him, cupping his face in his huge, warm hands, he quickly lost that fight.

"Have you ever had a bad word to Khadgar?" Anduin asked, wiping his falling tears gently with his thumbs.

"I never... never hurt him. I couldn't live with myself if I did..." Medivh choked out, trying his best to calm down, but as Anduin caressed his face and hair to comfort him, it just got worse.

When a strangled sob escaped him, Anduin pulled him into his arms, hugging him tight and stroking his back slowly, trying to soothe him. Medivh buried his face into his friend's shoulder and held on to him desperately as he wept into the soft fabric of his tunic.

"It's enough" Anduin said quietly. "You're not perfect, but no one is. And you know your faults and try to fix them as much as you can. No one could ask more of you. Khadgar is safe and loved here; he has a good life, all because of you. You gave him that. So yes, I firmly believe you're the best for him."

"What if I screw up?" Medivh whispered, and the fear in his voice made Anduin's heart squeeze painfully; he hated seeing his friend in such a state, and he hated even more that he had such little faith in himself.

"Then you'll fix it. And we'll help you to do so" the warrior said, running his fingers through Medivh's long, silky hair.

Medivh swallowed hard, trying to choke back the sobs and his tears, but the alcohol and Anduin's caress melted away all of his restraints, and he cried himself dry on his friend's shoulder.

"Time for a nice, long sleep, I guess" Anduin commented when Medivh could finally calm down and just leant against him, drained and exhausted. "Can you walk?"

Medivh didn't know. He just felt empty and tired, and his only wish was to close his eyes and fall into a dreamless sleep. The next thing he knew was that Anduin picked him up, bridal style, and went inside with him.

"How lucky that you're not that heavy, little raven..." the warrior murmured fondly, and Medivh found the strength in himself to wrap his arms around Anduin's neck, dropping his head on his shoulder.

The rest of the way to his room was complete darkness to Medivh, he didn't even remember getting into his bed later. The only thing he could recall faintly was a gentle kiss on his forehead before he fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing Medivh felt upon waking was the throbbing, awful headache, and he was so thirsty it was literally painful. He tried to swallow but it didn't help, only made him cough. He sat up, ready to drag himself into the kitchen on his hands and knees if he had to, but a big, gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Easy" he heard Anduin's voice from somewhere close, and when he opened his watering eyes, he saw his friend sitting next to him. "Not so fast, I'm pretty sure you'd throw up the moment you stand."

That indeed seemed like a solid possibility, the pain in his head increased exponentially with the movement, making him nauseous, and Medivh couldn't hold back a loud, painful groan as he fell back on his pillows, covering his eyes against the light.

"Please beat some sense into me if I even think about touching alcohol again..." he choked out when Anduin helped him to drink a cup of water.

Three more cups later, he could sit up without too much pain, and his nausea passed as well. He still felt weak, however, and his thoughts were slow and foggy.

"Feeling better?" Anduin asked, sitting next to him with a worried expression on his face.

"Yeah, much" Medivh sighed, pushing back his messy hair from his face then dropping his head on his pulled up knees with a tired, soft groan. "How much have I drunk?"

"Well, about the half of the bottle, maybe a bit more. How much else you don't remember?" came the answer, and Medivh grimaced; that definitely wasn't planned to happen, but he couldn't help it now.

"Don't worry, I remember almost everything... Where's Khadgar?" he asked; he could only imagine how confused and perhaps even scared Khadgar was when he couldn't find his master in the morning.

Now it was well past midday.

"I told him to go to the library and read whatever you told him to read the last time. I gave him breakfast and we've fed Sargeras, too, so you don't have to worry about that" Anduin said, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "As far as the kid knows, you have a bad case of headache, and you decided to sleep it through, but you'd be fine by the afternoon."

"Thanks" Medivh smiled faintly, then after a last cup of water, he forced himself to get out of the bed and take a hot bath.

It helped quite a lot to clear his head some, and when he shuffled into the kitchen, bare feet and still in his pyjama bottom and favourite robe, though, Anduin greeted him with a few sandwiches and a handsome amount of coffee, served in his 'Best Guardian' mug, of course.

"You're the best, really" Medivh sighed with a grateful smile, then he dropped at the table and began eating with obvious joy.

"You're welcome, little raven" Anduin grinned back, helping himself to a few cookies and a glass of milk.

A few minutes later, Sargeras sneaked inside, most probably getting wind of the fact that the humans were eating and hoped to snatch something for himself. First, he tried with Medivh, but when the mage routinely ignored him, the demon cat turned to Anduin, after an indignant hiss, of course.

"What's up, Monster Kitty?" Anduin grinned down at the cat.

"Meooow" Sargeras said.

"Yeah, right. As if I understood that."

Medivh snorted into his sandwich but did nothing to stop Anduin from giving some milk to Sargeras. Still, Anduin received an unfriendly hiss as well.

"Ungrateful bastard" he muttered.

The demon cat didn't bother to react.

"Your cat is an asshole, Medivh."

"Yes, I'm perfectly aware of that" Medivh grinned.

After they finished eating, they went to search for Khadgar in the library. The kid was at his favourite spot next to the huge window, curled up in one of the armchairs and hugging one of the picture books Medivh had given him about magic. He was dozing peacefully.

Both of the adults melted a bit by the adorable sight, however, when Medivh looked outside, he went a bit pale. Storm clouds were approaching rapidly, and it was only a matter of time until all hell would break loose. The mere thought of Anduin going home in such weather made him nauseous with worry. Anduin saw it, too, and he looked at Medivh questioningly.

"Stay" the mage said immediately, and his friend was obviously relieved.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

About an hour later, indeed all hell broke loose. Fortunately, the walls of Karazhan were strong and massive, those inside had nothing to fear, still, Khadgar seemed a bit distressed when his bedtime came and the storm outside was still raging at full force.

"I'll stay with him, read him a story and everything" Anduin offered, and Medivh smiled at him gratefully. "You go to sleep, you need it."

Indeed, Medivh still felt the lingering effects of his hangover and was tired, and a dull headache started again with the storm, so after a goodnight-hug for Khadgar, he retreated into his room and snuggled into his bed with an exhausted sight. Soon, he fell asleep, but his dream was restless, and he woke about an hour later. For a few hours, he'd been trashing around in a half-asleep state, jerked awake in every ten minutes or so by the loud thunders or the flashes of lightning. It was worse than not sleeping at all, so Medivh decided to get up and check on Khadgar. The kid was afraid of the storm, that much was obvious, and the mage felt guilty for not staying with him, but Anduin was right, he needed sleep; which he couldn't get eventually.

 _Damn this storm_ , Medivh thought, rubbing his eyes and face tiredly as he stumbled down on the stairs. He pulled his robe tighter around himself as he slowly opened the door of Khadgar's room.

It was around two a.m., still, the kid was wide-awake, he could tell that right away; he just felt it, Khadgar's fear filled the room in waves. Medivh closed the door and walked to the bed, sitting next to the bundle of blankets and pillows Khadgar used as his makeshift little shelter against the storm.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Khadgar" he murmured, leaning against the wall. "It's just a storm, it cannot hurt you here. You're safe."

Soon, Khadgar emerged from his warm fortress, only to find another shelter in his master's arms; and not just him but Stormwing too. The kid clutched his soft toy raven to his chest as if his life depended on it. Medivh hugged him, wrapping him in his loose robe carefully, and he felt Khadgar's tense little body relaxing against his own.

"Why didn't you go to Anduin?" Medivh asked; it seemed like the most logical thing to do if Khadgar was so afraid.

"Well, he told me a story and I fell asleep, but then I woke up, and he wasn't here, and I didn't want to disturb him... I thought he doesn't like if people go into his room, too" Khadgar explained, and Medivh grimaced; it was his unique quirk hating to share his bedroom with others, and he definitely didn't mean to make it look like everybody was like this.

Apparently, he'd failed.

"I'm sure he wouldn't have minded" he said, hugging his small apprentice closer.

"Okay, but I like being with you better" Khadgar confessed, and Medivh smiled at him.

"That's flattering. But you really should be asleep by now."

"Would you stay with me?" the kid asked shyly, blinking up at Medivh with his big brown eyes.

"Sure, why not?" Medivh sighed, thinking about the long hours of twisting and turning alone; perhaps sleeping with Khadgar would help him, too, to get his much needed rest. "Now lie down and give me a blanket, then."

"You have your robe" Khadgar spoke back, obeying the order nonetheless.

Soon, they were indeed fast asleep, Khadgar curled up in Medivh's arms. The storm outside slowly calmed down to a quiet drizzling.


	8. Chapter 8

About a week later, Medivh, Khadgar, Anduin and Llane were in the middle of their lunch when Medivh felt a tingling in the back of his mind. One of Karazhan's wards went off, signalling an unauthorized breach of perimeter. Now, it was either an unfortunate traveller or something much worse. From the fact that who- or whatever breached the ward tried to take it down as well, Medivh guessed the latter.

"What's wrong?" Llane asked, noticing Medivh's sudden distress.

"Stay here. Don't you dare take your eyes off the kid!" the mage answered, getting up.

Khadgar looked afraid, sensing his master's anger and worry, and he snuggled into Llane's arms on his own, there was no need to call him.

"It's alright, everything's gonna be okay" Llane murmured to the kid, and Khadgar clutched his plush raven desperately to his chest as he buried his face into Llane's shoulder. "Nothing's gonna hurt you."

"I'm going with you" Anduin said, standing up as well.

Medivh didn't want to waste time with arguing so he just nodded, heading outside. He hoped that whatever was the threat, he and Anduin could neutralize it before anything bad would happen. The one thing Medivh knew for sure that they would reach Khadgar and Llane inside the tower only over his dead body.

"What are we searching for?" Anduin asked, sword in hand, as they strode across the garden.

"Mages, most likely. More than one of them" Medivh answered, almost running toward a certain point in the end of the garden.

Anduin followed him without question. Soon, they spotted three men in the robes of the Kirin Tor, and Medivh didn't waste his time with politely inquiring about what the hell they were doing exactly in Karazhan. The next thing the trespassers knew that one of them was sent flying into the nearest tree, the other two were knocked down with bolts of lightning.

"Uh-oh, I wouldn't if I were you" Anduin sneered at the guy who flew into the tree and now was trying to get up, a spell already dancing on his fingers.

The sword pointed at his neck made the mage reconsider quickly. Meanwhile, the second mage was pinned to the ground by Medivh's spell, and the Guardian's eyes were blazing in the bright bluish-white hue of his magic. Anduin always wondered if it was affecting Medivh's vision or not. Perhaps while casting spells, he saw the world in that bluish-white colour.

Now, however, was not the time for such questions. The third Kirin Tor member slowly scrambled to his feet, raising his hands in a defeated way, practically saying 'I yield'.

"Please, Guardian... we're only here to talk" he pleaded, desperately trying to hide how much Medivh scared the crap out of him. He wasn't successful in the slightest.

"Then talk" Medivh said, his voice misleadingly calm, but Anduin felt the anger in it clearly, and he obviously had no intention to release his prey.

That prompted Anduin to keep his eyes – and sword – on his own captured mage as well.

"The Kirin Tor merely wishes to know if the child in your care is indeed with considerable magical power..." the guy began, but that was the worst thing he could say.

He couldn't even finish the sentence when he found himself smashed against a tree, pinned to it quite a few feet above the ground. Medivh wasn't gentle in the slightest, the force of his spell caused more than one bruise, but he didn't care about it at all. Eyes burning with something more than just magic – Anduin would've sworn it was pure, unadulterated hatred –, the Guardian began speaking. He didn't yell, he didn't shout, his voice was quiet, almost impassive; but that was why he was so very scary.

"Listen to me carefully, you mewling, pathetic worm, because I won't say this again. The Kirin Tor has nothing to do with _my apprentice_. You better forget he even exists because if not, if you so much as looking at him, I'm going to burn your precious floating city to ashes the wind can scatter all over Azeroth. Understood?"

"Ye-yes" the other mage choked out through gritted teeth, and Medivh released him from the magical grip.

The Kirin Tor member landed on his rear end with a painful groan, but it only made Medivh smirk.

"Now get the hell out of here" he snapped with unhidden disgust.

The three humiliated, scared to death mages were running before he could've finished his sentence.

"I know you're not a fan of these guys, but are you sure antagonizing them so much is a good idea?" Anduin asked, sheathing his sword. "We wouldn't want it to come back at Khadgar, for example."

"By the time Khadgar leaves this place, he'll be more than capable of defending himself from the Kirin Tor. Until then, he's safe here" Medivh answered as they were walking back to the tower. "And I'm the Guardian; they better not forget this. You know, I can in fact burn their whole damn city if I wanted to."

The thought of Khadgar growing up and leaving Karazhan was a surprisingly painful one, but Medivh didn't want to, and fortunately, didn't have to deal with it at the moment.

"Remind me to never piss you off" Anduin muttered, and Medivh chuckled darkly.

When they arrived back to the kitchen, Llane was still trying to comfort poor scared Khadgar. The kid, however, wriggled free from his arms the moment Medivh and Anduin stepped through the door, running to his master and throwing himself into his arms instead. Medivh didn't even think, he just knelt down and hugged Khadgar tight, only now realizing how very upset he was even by the mere thought of the Kirin Tor wanting to get his apprentice for themselves.

"It's okay, you have nothing to be afraid of" he murmured into the kid's ear, and Khadgar snuggled to him even more. "You're safe. You'll always be safe with me."

Anduin and Llane just watched them then exchanged an amused glance. They both remembered how Medivh reacted at first to the whole apprentice-business. Compared to that, he'd got very far in the passing weeks.

"He's dead serious about it. He's promised the mage guys he'd burn Dalaran to cinders should they just look at the kid the wrong way" Anduin provided the information, and Llane snorted.

"Somehow, I can't feel sorry for them" he answered.

"Let's pretend I'm surprised, okay?"

Meanwhile, Medivh managed to calm Khadgar at least to the point that the kid reluctantly let him go, cuddling his plush raven instead. Medivh searched for some cookies, hoping that it'd help to cheer up the kid more.

"Medivh... Can I ask you something?" Anduin spoke up as the mage gave the cookies to Khadgar.

"Sure."

"When your eyes are glowing... Do you see the world like you do when they're normal?" the warrior asked, finally satisfying his curiosity.

"Yeah, there's no difference" Medivh answered. "It does feel a bit... warm, but that's all."

Anduin nodded, trying to imagine wielding that much power, but he couldn't; and perhaps that was for the best.


	9. Chapter 9

Anduin and Llane stayed for dinner as well, but then they had to go back to Stormwind. They both cuddled Khadgar thoroughly as a farewell, and the kid snuggled to them shamelessly, enjoying the love he was showered in.

"And what about me?" Medivh asked with feigned jealousy, but he was obviously fighting a grin.

Anduin reached out without a word and pulled the much smaller Guardian into a bear-hug. Medivh buried his face into his friend's shoulder with a content sigh.

"Why so cuddly, little raven?" Anduin muttered, stroking Medivh's long, silky hair gently. Medivh just shrugged.

After a few more words and a promise that they'd visit as soon as possible, the guests left for Stormwind on gryphonback. Medivh took Khadgar's hand and they went back to the kid's room so he could get his pyjama then have a bath.

"Hey... what's the matter?" Medivh asked when his apprentice just picked up his plush raven instead and hugging it tight, he curled up in the corner of his bed.

Khadgar didn't say a word until Medivh snuggled beside him, pulling him into his arms.

"The mages who came here... Did they want to take me away?" the kid asked, still sounding a bit scared.

Medivh bit back a sigh. He knew he had to talk about it with Khadgar, still, that didn't mean he was enthusiastic about the whole topic.

"Yes" he snapped as a wave of raw fury ran through him by the mere thought. "They were from the Kirin Tor. Have you ever heard about them?"

Khadgar shrugged insecurely.

"They're from some mage school where kids go to learn magic?" he guessed, and Medivh couldn't hold back a snort.

"Yeah, you can say that... But if we're to use this analogue, then we definitely have to mention that it's not a school parents want to send their children to."

"Why?"

"Because it's an awful place for kids. Dalaran, where the Kirin Tor mages live, is in itself a nice city, and it floats in the air, it's kinda cool. But the way they treat the small mages they're supposed to teach and protect... it's just horrible. That's why you ended up here with me; because Anduin and Llane didn't want you to go to Dalaran" Medivh explained, instinctively hugging Khadgar closer.

Khadgar snuggled to him, dropping his head on his shoulder. He was definitely happy that he'd come here instead of Dalaran.

"And will they come back?" he asked, blinking up at Medivh.

"Not if they know what's good for them. You're my apprentice, and my responsibility. They have nothing to do with you. You belong here, with me."

"Okay" Khadgar smiled, and it seemed he finally found his inner peace again.

After a few more minutes of cuddling, Medivh could send him to take a bath, and while Khadgar was away, he shuffled back to the kitchen and made a cup of tea for himself. Soon, Sargeras joined him, meowing pitifully for food.

"Quit the bullshit, you just had dinner, too" Medivh muttered, sipping his tea.

Sargeras hissed and jumped on the table, sitting down uncomfortably close to Medivh's face. He meowed again, and the mage sighed, grabbing the small bag of treats with magic and pulling it into his hand. Sargeras stood, leaning closer and actually _purring_. Medivh didn't even know if he'd ever heard the demon cat purr. He gave him a few bits of treats, and Sargeras ate them happily.

"You're welcome" Medivh called after the cat when he jumped down the table and left the kitchen as if nothing had happened. "Anduin's right, you're an asshole" he added quietly.

In this moment, Khadgar walked in, already in his pyjama and with Stormwing in his arms.

"Can I have a cookie?" he asked, blinking innocently at his master.

Medivh couldn't have said no, not even if he wanted to.

"Sure" he answered, and Khadgar climbed on the chair next to him, with a happy smile on his little face.

When Khadgar finished his cookie, for a while, he was just sitting on his chair and chewed on his lower lip, obviously wanting to ask something, but for some reason, he just couldn't find either the words or the courage to do so. Medivh waited patiently, sipping his second cup of tea. Sooner or later, Khadgar always figured out how to ask what he wanted to.

"Medivh?"

"Hmm?"

"When I'll be a grown up mage... will you send me away?" the kid asked, and Medivh almost choked on his tea.

He stared at Khadgar, and the kid looked back at him with big, somewhat desperate eyes. He had no idea where this thought came from, but it broke his heart that Khadgar had such fears, for whatever reason. He didn't even think, he just reached out and pulled the kid into his arms. Khadgar went willingly, curling up in his lap and resting his head on his chest.

"I'll never, ever tell you to leave if you don't want to" Medivh promised, and he meant it, with all of his heart. "This is your home now, and should anything happen to me, Karazhan will be yours. There's no one else I'd want to leave this place to."

"I hope nothing happens to you" Khadgar muttered, hugging Medivh's neck tight.

Later, when he tucked Khadgar in and ruffled his hair as a goodnight-kiss, Medivh faced his true feelings perhaps for the first time. Yes, he'd already admitted to himself that Khadgar meant him a lot, but the acknowledgement that the kid was like an own child to him in everything but blood was new.

"I may not be the best parent in the world..." he whispered, stroking Khadgar's hair gently. "But I'll always be here for you when you need me."

Khadgar smiled at him sleepily then yawned and curled up under his soft blanket, hugging Stormwing tight to his chest. The feeling of utter safety these little actions radiated made Medivh's heart ache, and he swore to himself that he'd do everything within his power to provide a true home for Khadgar, one he'd want to come back to, wherever he'd go during his hopefully long and happy life.

**The End**


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